Find out how popular the last name LaForest is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named LaForest.

LaForest, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the LaForest surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of LaForest in America

LaForest is the 14957th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The LaForest surname appeared 1,977 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname LaForest.

We can also compare 2010 data for LaForest to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name LaForest

The surname LAFOREST originated in France during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the French words "la" meaning "the" and "forêt" meaning "forest", referring to someone who lived near or in a forest. The name may have also referred to someone who worked in forestry or as a forester.

In its early form, the name was often spelled DELAFOREST or DE LA FOREST, indicating the person hailed from a specific forest. Over time, the spelling evolved to the more simplified LAFOREST. Similar variations include LAFORÊT, LAFOREEST, and LAFORREST.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name LAFOREST can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a medieval census commissioned by William the Conqueror. The entry mentions a landowner named Robert de la Forest in Nottinghamshire, England.

In the 13th century, a wealthy French nobleman named Pierre de la Forest was documented as owning vast tracts of land near the Ardennes Forest in northeastern France. His descendants continued to use the surname LAFOREST for generations.

During the Renaissance period, a famous French philosopher and writer named Pierre de la Ramée, also known as Petrus Ramus (1515-1572), was born with the surname LAFOREST. He made significant contributions to the field of logic and rhetoric.

In the 18th century, a French military officer named Jean-Baptiste de la Forest (1721-1799) served in the American Revolutionary War and was instrumental in securing French support for the American colonies.

Another notable figure was Antoine LAFOREST (1823-1892), a French architect who designed several prominent buildings in Paris, including the Church of Saint-Ambroise and the Hôtel de Ville (City Hall).

During the 19th century, a Canadian politician named Élie LAFOREST (1839-1917) served as a member of the Canadian Parliament and was actively involved in promoting French-Canadian rights and culture.

The surname LAFOREST has also been associated with various place names throughout France, such as La Forêt-le-Roi in Normandy and La Forêt-Fouesnant in Brittany, further reinforcing its connection to wooded areas and forests.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name LaForest

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname LaForest.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for LaForest was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of LaForest has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name LaForest was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of LaForest, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!